


The Bachelorette

by Andrew_MerLuca



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Grey's - Freeform, Grey's Anatomy - Freeform, Merluca - Freeform, The Bachelorette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-06-02 08:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19437886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andrew_MerLuca/pseuds/Andrew_MerLuca
Summary: In front of her were four suitors. Suitor wasn’t really the right word for them. Candidates? Bachelors? Meredith wasn’t really sure what to call them. Still, in front of her were four men all smiling with deep red roses pinned to their suit jackets. For a second she almost forgot about the camera aimed at her back. Almost.~~~~~~~~~~Accomplished surgeon Meredith Grey becomes the Bachelorette when April Kepner sends in an application behind her back. Now, as the competition comes to a close, she's faced with the harsh reality that not everything is as it seems and not everyone is who they appear to be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Grey's Anatomy Bachelorette AU. It's strange but I've really fallen in love with this concept and I hope you will too.

It was strange how easy and normal everything felt seven weeks into the contest. This week Meredith didn’t have to think twice about who to cut. Jackson Avery was pretty, very pretty but other than that he didn’t have much to offer. He was the first to go, She wasn’t interested in someone who only had a job because his mother gave it to him. The second was Alex. Alex was a secret teddy bear and he was nice when he wasn’t punching walls and yelling in the other guys' faces. 

In front of her were four suitors. Suitor wasn’t really the right word for them. Candidates? Bachelors? Meredith wasn’t really sure what to call them. Still, in front of her were four men all smiling with deep red roses pinned to their suit jackets. For a second she almost forgot about the camera aimed at her back. Almost. 

She was still very aware of the lights that were hanging above her head. In the corner of the room, Shayne was holding a boom mic to pick up anything the mics clipped to everyone's clothes might not catch. There was a gaggle of producers and PA’s with clipboards tucked under their arms and coffees clutched in their hands to her right. Andrew, the host was standing just out of frame waiting to make his announcement. It was his first year hosting the show but based on the way fans talked about him, you would think he was a contestant. 

“Well gentlemen, congratulations on making it to the final four.” He said. “Our Bachelorette is very lucky.” Andrew gave her a polite smile. 

“I think we’re lucky ones.” Meredith turned towards the voice. Link stood tall on the outside of the group his blue eyes pointed towards her and his face chiseled into a pleasant, charming smile. To be fair, everything about Link was chiseled, the buttons of his shirt strained against his chest. He winked at her and she covered her face to hide the blush that crept up her face. It was obvious why Link was the fan favorite

Andrew waited for the guys to settle down as they all murmured in agreement with their competitor. “This week, you will all get a one on one date with the Bachelorette. Then the top three will head out to home town dates.” He ran through the information that they had all heard time and time again. “Go ahead and get some rest tonight because we have a busy week ahead of us.”

There was a general sigh of relief among everyone in the room, for the most part, their work for the day was over. The guys headed towards the common room making small talk with each other. Nathan hung back as the other three guys walked without him.“I think we’re going to grab a drink if you want to join us.” He offered. 

Meredith rocked back on her heels. She was desperate to get out of her gown and put on some pajamas. “Thank you, but I think I’ll pass.” She said. There was an ungodly amount of bobby pins jamming into her scalp. 

“Oh come on Grey! It’s been a long week I think we all deserve a drink.” He raised an eyebrow and flashed her a smile. 

She paused for a moment, whenever she was around Nathan her heart raced. He wasn’t the fan favorite but he certainly was Meredith’s. Who wouldn’t like a charming army vet? “Alright, I’ll have a drink.” 

“Yes!” He threw his hands up in celebration. Meredith shook her head and giggled at him. When he was done celebrating, Riggs extended his left arm to her and maybe a little too enthusiastically, she took it. She could feel his biceps through his suit jacket, Link definitely had some competition. Her shoes clicked against the stone floor as they walked towards the common room. 

The house was gorgeous at night. The giant windows that lined every wall let you see the stars against the Los Angles skyline. Under the sets usual lights, everything was stark and sharp but at night there were candles on every flat surface in sight making everything glow with amber light. It was a nice change. 

He was the one to break the silence. “You look stunning tonight. I don’t think I’ve told you that yet but you look stunning.” 

“Oh… Thank you.” These men really knew how to fluster her. Suddenly she was a blushing, stuttering, giddy school girl. “You look very good yourself.” She said. 

"There she is!" Mark said as the two of them entered the room. That was the thing about Mark. He turned everything into a big deal. Mark was pretty and when he wanted to be he was sweet but most of the time Mark was well... arrogant. 

He and George were sitting on a deep blue couch, drinks in hand, their ties were untied but their roses were still pinned securely to their jackets. Link was standing behind the bar, he had thrown a dish towel over his shoulder in an attempt to look more like a bartender. 

"Pick your poison." He said. " We’ve got white, red, and rosé. I don't want to brag but I can make a mean Old Fashioned." 

Meredith didn't have to hesitate. "Tequila," She said simply. 

"Coming right up." Link pulled a shot glass from the shelf behind him and set it on the bar. He grabbed the bottle of tequila and poured her a generous shot. 

Shots probably weren't the most ladylike drink but, at this point in the competition, she didn't really care. These boys were supposed to like her for her... right? She threw back the shot and shuttered as the alcohol burned the back of her throat and waved away Links hand as he offered her a refill. 

He turned to Nathan “And what about you?” 

“I’ll have a whiskey neat.” He said. Meredith took a seat at the bar and slowly the guys joined her. Nathan took the seat to her right and George took the one to her left while Mark joined Link behind the bar. 

“Alright, Lincoln I’m going to show you how to make a real Old Fashioned,” Sloan said trying to take his competitors place at the bar. 

“As if,” He scoffed. 

Mark grabbed a glass. “Fine, I’ll make you a deal. Whoever makes the best drink gets to go on the first one on one.” He offered. 

“Deal,” The two of them shook hands. 

“I don’t think that’s how this works,” George interjected. “That’s not our decision to make.” 

“Oh come on Bambi, there’s nothing wrong with some friendly competition.” Sloan turned towards her. “Is there?” 

“No,” She said. “Go ahead,” 

The two of them erupted into motion. Sloan honed in on his task with surgeons precision while Link just seemed to grab whatever was in front of him. Out of the corner of her eye, Meredith could see George nervously sitting at the edge of his chair and Nathan had poured himself another drink, and then another. She could hear the footsteps of the camera crew as they slid their way into the room. 

Sloan set the glass in front of her. “Done!” 

“It’s not a race. This is all about quality.” Link explained. 

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life it’s that everything is a race.” He said. Link finished his drink and carefully placed it in front of Meredith flashing her a smile again. 

She slid the drinks across the bar to Nathan beside her. “Oh, I don’t drink whiskey but, I’m sure that Nate will tell us which one is better. Right?” 

Mark crossed his arms. “Well, now we know he’s not going to pick mine. He’s intimidated by my intellect and good looks.” Mark was obviously just as aware of the cameras as Meredith was. George scoffed and mumbled something to himself. 

“When it comes to whiskey, I’m a serious man.” He assured him. 

“Drink mine first,” Link said. “It’ll blow your mind.” 

Riggs did as he was told and picked up Links glass. He raised it to his nose and wafted it dramatically he took one sip, then two, then he drained the glass setting it down with a satisfying clink. He took the second glass and did the same. “I’ve made my decision,” he leaned over to Meredith and whispered the winner into her ear. 

“Link, I’ll see you tomorrow, congratulations.” 

He threw his dish towel onto the floor in celebration. “What’d I tell you, Sloan? What’d I tell you?” 

She turned to George who was trying his best to look like he was enjoying himself. Anytime one of them looked at him he would smile and nod but the second they looked away his face would fall. “What time is it?” She asked. 

“Almost 11:45,” He said. 

“I think I’m done for the night.” She rose from her seat. “I’m going to turn in my mic, but thank you for the… entertaining evening.” 

With a chorus of ‘good nights’ and ‘sweet dreams’ Meredith left the common room and headed towards the back of the set. She looked around the empty hallway and just stood for a moment by herself. She hadn’t actually been alone in weeks. 

“Hey, Mer!” glancing over her shoulder she saw Riggs walking towards her, or stumbling towards her more accurately. “Wait up,”

“How much have you had to drink tonight?” She asked as he caught up with her. 

He paused like he was counting to himself. “Only about 6 drinks,”

Meredith took his arm again, this time to steady him. “You need to drink some water and take some Advil so let's get you to tech so they can take your mic. Okay?”

“Okay, that sounds good.” Leading a drunk, grown man through long, weaving hallways wasn’t really what she expected when she signed up for the Bachelorette. 

Finally, they found the crew who had all migrated to where they had just filmed the rose ceremony. Exhausted crew members sat on the floor while others were making their rounds through craft services. 

“Is everything alright?” Andrew DeLuca asked walking towards the two of them. A look of worry was painted across his face from seeing Riggs draped across her shoulders. 

“Everything’s fine but I think that we’re both done for the day.” She shrugged Nathans arm off of her shoulder. 

Helm, one of the PAs, had already begun taking the microphone off of Nathan. “Final Four, that’s pretty exciting, isn’t it?” She asked making small talk. “One step closer to a fairytale ending.” 

Nathan leaned in, he was inches from her face. “Can I tell you something?” He didn’t wait for a response. “I don’t understand this whole fairy tale ending shit. I mean honestly, what are the chances you’re going to find your soulmate on a game show?”

Helms' face went pale, “You should really stop talking,” 

“It’s not like any of us are here for the romance. But, that stays between us.” He chuckled. 

Meredith cleared her throat, her arms crossed across her chest. “Your microphone’s still on.” She had to blink back tears, she was not going to let him see her cry. She was not going to let the entire crew see her cry. Not over him.

“Meredith I didn’t mean tha-” He began. She dodged his hand as he reached towards her. 

“Don’t touch me,” She shot at him. The room full of people was silent, the color from Helm’s face was completely gone. “Go ahead and pack your bags, you’ve been eliminated from the competition.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this was all Aprils fault. If it wasn’t for that damn heart of gold and well-intentioned spirit of hers Meredith wouldn’t be here. She wouldn't be crying by a pool in an evening gown and cursing at herself for crying in the first place.

Honestly, this was all Aprils fault. If it wasn’t for that damn heart of gold and well-intentioned spirit of hers Meredith wouldn’t be here. She wouldn't be crying by a pool in an evening gown and cursing at herself for crying in the first place. 

This was just her luck. After years of focusing on her career and nothing else, she finally let down her walls. She allowed herself to care about someone and he, he didn’t care about her at all.

Her hand shook as she wiped the falling tears from her cheeks leaving streaks of mascara on her face. She took a deep breath then another trying to steady herself. She was Meredith Grey, skilled, award-winning, record-breaking Meredith Grey. She didn’t cry over boys like a child. She saved lives.

Clumsily, she kicked off her heels letting them land with a soft thud. She winced as her bare feet hit the cold ground. Her hands ran through her hair searching for the pins pressed against her scalp. 

“Doctor Grey, are you alright?” She whipped around to find the familiar voice behind her. Andrew DeLuca stood about ten feet away from her a look of concern painted across his face. 

Meredith did her best to look presentable. She tucked her hair behind her ear and bared down on her lip with her teeth willing herself not to cry. “I’m fine. Thank you, Andrew.” 

“I, uh, I wanted to let you know that Nathan has been escorted to his room. He’ll be in a car home early tomorrow morning just as soon as he sobers up.” His words felt like a punch in the gut. Nathan was going home. 

Meredith hated this competition when she started. It was silly and pointless not to mention demeaning. You can’t actually establish a connection with someone on a reality tv show. At least, that’s what she had told herself, but, then she met Nathan. He was kind and funny and when he looked at her she couldn’t help but smile. He was different and as cheesy as that sounded it was true. Now he was leaving. 

Her breath caught in her throat. She covered her mouth to stifle the sobs that racked her chest. 

There was hand on her shoulder. “Doctor Grey…” Andrew said in a voice so soft she could hardly hear it. She didn’t answer him. Instead, she leaned into his chest letting the tears fall freely now. Cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her almost like he was afraid she would shatter in his arms. 

He stood there, rubbing small circles against her back as she cried, her voice growing hoarse and her eyes growing red. He didn’t say anything but “You’re okay,” over and over again as she dug her nails into his suit jacket and left lipstick stains on his white shirt. 

Meredith could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest, his breath in her ear. She was all too aware of how embarrassing this would be in the morning. How she would have to avoid eye contact with him for days, the two of them locked this mansion for three more weeks. She could feel the anxiety of it all building in her chest already but, he warm and she had too many tears left to cry so she didn’t move and neither did he. 

She had to wonder how weird this was for him. They saw each other every day, ran into each other at craft services, he had even been the one to zip up her dress on a few occasions but, they never really talked beyond exchanging pleasantries in the hallway. 

“I should go,” Meredith pulled away from him suddenly. She looked at him for a moment before turning away and searching for her shoes. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She called over her shoulder as she forced herself to walked away. 

This was not his problem he shouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was 5:15 when the shouting outside Meredith's room startled her awake. She propped herself up on an elbow trying to understand what the voices outside her door were saying. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She heard. 

Begrudgingly, she tossed her comforter from her legs and slid her feet into the slippers beside her bed. 

“It’s none of your business, man!” The second voice said. 

She slipped on her robe tying it tight before opening her door. The harsh light from the hallway flooded into her room making her squint. The two men in her doorway came into focus. Nathan and Andrew.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Can I help you?” She asked no one in particular. 

“I was headed to my room and I saw him pacing outside your door. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” Andrew said. 

She had never seen him like this. His tie laid open on his chest, his usually perfectly sculpted hair hung in loose curls around his face, and his sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. He wasn’t the host Andrew DeLuca she saw every day he was just actual Andrew DeLuca. 

Nathan cleared his throat grabbing her attention. “Shouldn’t you be leaving?” She asked. 

“Can we just talk? Five minutes, that’s all I need. Please.” He rocked back and forth on his heels. 

Meredith kept her eyes glued on Andrew standing awkwardly in front of her. She didn’t want to talk to Nathan, she didn’t want to meet his eyes because honestly if she did she did, she just might bust into tears or punch him in the face. “No.” 

“Mer just let me explain.” He pleaded. 

Part of her wanted to indulge him. Give him five minutes in a private room so they could talk things out. But the smarter part of her, the part of her that was finally waking up warned her not too. Riggs already said all that he needed to. He was in this for the fame, for the paycheck, for the notoriety. Not for her and if she gave him the opportunity to lie again, in that accent that made her weak in the knees there would be no coming back. 

“Leave before I have you removed from the set.” Nathan didn’t budge from his spot outside her door. “Seriously go.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

He threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “Dammit, Meredith just listen to me.” 

He took a step towards her and grunted as he hit Andrew’s outstretched arm. “You heard her. She told you to go. Go.” His voice was clear and low.

Riggs clenched his jaw. “Is this seriously what you want?” He asked. “Do you seriously want me to leave?” 

Meredith laughed surprising even herself. “Do you think you can guilt trip me into keeping you here?” She says with feigned confidence because… he probably could convince her to let him stay. He could lace his fingers in hers and stare at her with those blue eyes and she would cave. 

Andrew looked at her. “Do you want me to call security? I can call security.” 

“I… fine.” Nathan pulled an envelope from his back pocket and gave it to her, nearly forcing it into her hands. He turned to Andrew. “You know, you’re the host, you’re not supposed to get involved in any of this.” He gave Meredith one last pleading look before he slipped away back down the hallway. 

She let out a long breath letting herself relax again. 

“I’m sorry about that,” DeLuca said. “He should have been gone already.” He wrung his hands. “I should let you go get some sleep. You’ve got a lot on your plate this week. Just let me know if you need anything, Doctor Grey.” 

“Why do you insist on calling me that?” Meredith asked. “I’m hardly a Doctor here. I haven’t done anything medical-related in months. It’s fine if you call me Meredith.”

He shrugged. “If you went through Med School and Residency and made it out alive you’ve earned the title of Doctor. My Dad used to say the hardest part of being a Doctor was actually becoming one.” 

She leaned against her door frame. “Your father’s a Doctor?” 

“Everyone in my family is. My Mom was a general practitioner, my sister just got accepted into her fellowship program, my dad, he was a renowned OB back in the day. I almost went to Med School before I took this job.” 

Guilt tugged at Meredith's stomach, she had learned more about Andrew in the past two minutes than she had in the past two months. 

“What stopped you?” She asked. “A family full of Doctors and you decide to be a reality host.”

He seemed to look past her. “I went back to Italy for a year and… well, I figured out that medicine isn’t for me.” Andrew shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ll see you later Meredith.”


End file.
